Maine Maple Sunday - Thanks for Coming

We would like to thank everyone that came to our first Maine Maple Sunday Open House to make it such a wonderful success. Many months ago when we committed to hosting an open Sugar House we knew that it would be a lot of work and preparation, but it was certainly worth it. We were able to share the day with about 150 guests, including family, old friends, neighbors, and some new friends as well. The youngest guest was only 6 weeks old, and the oldest was 90! I guess the Magic of Maple knows no age limits.

We of course shared our love for Maple Sugaring, but we also had the barn open with all the baby goats, lamb, rabbits and pigs. In the house the kids could peer into the chick brooder and look at the day old chicks that had just hatched in our small incubator. Many folks enjoyed tours of our Sugar Trail and Pond Trail, guided by our little helpers: Isaac, Mary, Caroline and Gideon.

Maybe the surprise hit of the day was our homemade goats milk ice cream. Several guests suggested that we should sell it, but we just wanted to share this special treat without anyone having to get out their wallet.

We also were blessed to have some fine Maine made pottery for sale at our sale table. My sister, Sarah Delaney has recently refocused her time on her one-of-kind pottery art. She has founded Phoenix Pottery with an emphasis on function as well as fashion. Using raw Maine blue marine clay from a local source, she debuted some fine earthenware, including a beautiful pitcher for serving our pure Maine Maple Syrup. We will certainly be bragging about this artist in the future.

In the future I'll post some pictures from Maple Sunday, once we've had a little time to rest. But we won't rest for too long, the sap tank is full, so tomorrow we'll be boiling again. I think that our goal of 25 gallons of syrup is in reach, we just have to keep the fire burning hot.

Thanks for visiting and God Bless.

Maine Maple Sunday - March 27, 2011

You are invited to
Maine Maple Sunday

Juniper Hill Farm
Sunday, March 27, 2011
An Open House from 10 AM – 4 PM

We will have our small family run Sugar House up and running, as well as family and kid friendly activities. Sugar Houses across the State of Maine are open for folks to come and enjoy this sweet New England tradition.

On our growing and developing family farm, we produce food and goods for our family such as maple syrup, goats’ milk, eggs, meat and garden produce, seasonally. We always love to share with others who are interested in learning about how we provide natural food for our family and like to help encourage others to see how farming may fit their life.

What to expect on Maine Maple Sunday:
• Visit the Sugar House and learn how maple syrup is made.
• Take a walk on the Sugar Trail – learn to identity some Maine native trees and other scavenger hunt activities.
• Journey to the Barn and meet our newborn baby goats and lamb as well as our other barnyard animals. Learn how we care for our dairy goats.
• Enjoy Homemade Ice cream, Sweet Treats, Maine Made Pottery and other Special tidbits.
Remember that it is mud season in Maine, so for a more enjoyable experience on the Trails and in the Barnyard, bring your mud boots, warm clothes, and maybe a change of clothes for the little ones.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday!

A safe return

We're glad to have a friend safely returned from a year long deployment in Afganistan with Maine Army National Guard. Mike and his whole unit made it through safely, a true blessing.
We're looking forward to catching up with some war stories. God Bless.